This Reality
by HalfpastNine
Summary: Sheila Barktsdale is the new girl at Degrassi and she has a crush on Craig. Will he love her back or will someone get in the way? Many more surprises in this story along the way!
1. Chapter One: Welcome to Degrassi

Sheila Barktsdale looked around at her new bedroom. The pale yellow walls reflected the sun shining from outside. Her twin sized bed stood alone underneath the fan that was built in by the previous owners. Her dresser and desk looked out of place in the spacious room. She sighed as she pushed them into place and the glanced back at her work.  
  
"Still doesn't feel right," she said frowning.  
  
As she looked on, her eyebrow furrowed, her mother walked in and place a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"So what do you think?" she asked her.  
  
"I don't know," said Sheila, "I miss our other house. This room doesn't feel right."  
  
"I know honey, but you'll adjust soon enough," replied her mother, "Moving from Maryland to Canada is a difficult thing for you but I bet you'll love it."  
  
  
  
Sheila smiled at her mother and gave her a hug.  
  
"There are some more boxes downstairs that have your stuff in them. Don't forget to bring them up here," said her mother.  
  
"Okay," said Sheila returning to her moving.  
  
She noticed her radio set lying apart on her bed. She sighed and began to put it back together. An hour later, Sheila had her room back to the way she wanted. Her radio was set up and she was listening to Fountains of Wayne. She smiled as she looked at her new room; her Good Charlotte picture with D.C's Finest on it along with a Weezer poster were posted on her wall, and a poster of a ying yang along with a tie dye poster were on the other wall. The remaining clothes in the boxes were hung up and her CDs were placed onto the CD rack. It kind of feels like home, she thought.   
  
"Sheila! Mom says to come down for dinner!"  
  
Sheila groaned and walked downstairs to their big kitchen. Her mother was standing near the stove while her father was sitting at the table. Her little brother and sister were playing on the floor. Her little brother was 4 years old and her sister was 5 years old. Her mother placed the food on the table. Sheila waited for her younger siblings to sit down before she did.   
  
"So Sheila, did your mother tell you the good news?" asked her father.  
  
"No, what is it?" asked Sheila, looking at her mother.  
  
"Well, I looked around at some schools today, and I enrolled you in Degrassi," said her mother, "You start on Tuesday."  
  
"Ok, I guess," replied Sheila  
  
Sheila ate in silence for the rest of dinner. Her little brother wanted her to play video games with him while her little sister insisted that she play Barbies with her. Sheila went to bed that night feeling awkward in her new room. She kept thinking about her new school and how much she missed being in Maryland with her friends.  
  
*******  
  
Monday went too fast for Sheila's liking. Her mother took her shopping for school supplies and for some new clothes. That night, Sheila feel into a restless sleep. She was thinking about what the other kids would think about her. Her mother came into her room and woke her up at 6:30 a.m. Sheila decided to wear her green Dropkick Murphy's shirt and her new pair of jeans. She found her converse lying underneath her bed and slipped them over her feet. Looking in the mirror, she decided to pull her hair back with a clip and wear her contacts. She searched for her rubber bracelets, finding her black, blue, and clear ones. She ran downstairs, her backpack on her shoulder, to the kitchen. Her mother placed a bowl of cereal in front of her.  
  
"You're not going to wear that new skirt that I bought you yesterday?" asked her mother.  
  
"Sorry mom but I don't want to look new," said Sheila, wolfing down her breakfast.  
  
"Slow down Sheila, you have plenty of time," said her mother.  
  
Sheila didn't listen to her mother and finished in no less than 3 minutes. She found her padlock necklace and put it on. Motioning for her mother to hurry, Sheila walked out to the car and sat in the driver's seat.  
  
"Not today Sheil, said her mother, "You don't know the area that well. Maybe we'll drive around this weekend and you can get acquainted with the area."  
  
Sheila groaned and switched over to the passenger's side. Her mother pulled out of their driveway and began their journey to Degrassi.   
  
Her mother pulled up to the front of the school. Sheila got out of the car slowly and looked around. There were kids running around, soon sitting down on the picnic benches talking, and some just standing in huddles with their friends. Sheila walked up the front steps slowly, not making eye contact with anyone. Walking into the school, she looked around for her homeroom. She found a seat in the classroom and sat down. Five minutes later, a bell rang and more students filed into the classroom. The teacher, Ms. Irkman came into the room and dropped her things on her desk.  
  
"Hello again," she greeted the class, sitting on a desk, "I don't know if any of you noticed but we have a new student. Class, this is Sheila Barktsdale. Sheila, please introduce yourself to the class."  
  
Why do I have to do this, she thought as she stood up.  
  
"Well, my name is Sheila as the teacher already mentioned. My family and I just moved here from Maryland. Um... at my old school I used to do colorguard and I did dance on the side. I guess Degrassi is ok so far and that's about it," said Sheila.  
  
"Tell us about your favorite things," urged Ms. Irkman.  
  
"Do I have to?" asked Sheila.  
  
"Please," begged the teacher, "It'll give us a chance to get to know you better."  
  
"Um... I like an assortment of music but rock is my favorite. I'm not that much into rap but I do like some rap songs. I like to dance and I can sing. I've entered a few contests and placed second or third in them. I like to do regular stuff like everyone else. That's it I guess."  
  
The entire class remained silent. Ms. Irkman went up to the front board and wrote today's lesson as Sheila sat back down.  
  
Ms. Irkman's class went by really fast. Sheila soon found herself out in the hallway trying to open her locker. She did the combination but the knob seemed jammed. She jiggled it a few times but the locker wouldn't budge. A hand reached near her left shoulder and banged on her locker. It opened and Sheila turned. A boy a few inches taller than her stood beside her.   
  
"Hey thanks," said Sheila, hastily shoving some books in her locker.  
  
"No prob," said the boy, "I had that one last year. It was a pain."  
  
"Oh," replied Sheila.  
  
"Hey, aren't you that new girl, Sheila?" asked the boy.  
  
"Oh, yeah," replied Sheila.  
  
"We're in the same homeroom. My name is Craig by the way," said the boy getting a camera out of his locker, "What classes do you have the rest of the day?"  
  
"Um... I have Geometry, History, Spanish, and Photography," replied Sheila.  
  
"Wow, I have the same classes. I'll walk with you to them. That way you'll know where they are," said Craig closing his locker.  
  
Sheil slammed hers shut and followed Craig to Geometry. 


	2. Chapter Two: Spanish and Numbers

Sheila waited outside on the steps for her mother. Kids were filing out of the school, finding their bus and looking for their parents. Sitting on the last step, she fixed her shoelace. A girl tripped over one of her school books.  
  
"Oh my God are you all right?" she asked running up to the girl and helping her up.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," said the girl, "i should have been paying attention to where I was going."  
  
"I'm so sorry. I'll remember next time to keep my books closer to me," said Sheila.  
  
The girl chuckled. Sheila looked at the girl's clothing with amazement. The girl had shirt black hair and was wearing a black shirt with a black fishnet shirt over a plain white t-shirt. Looking at her shoes, Sheila noticed that they were combat platforms.  
  
"Anyway, my name is Sheila," she said to the girl, "I'm new to Degrassi."  
  
"My name is Ashley," said the girl dusting herself off, "Well, I hope you had a good day here 'cause it'll be the last one you'll have for a while."  
  
"Why's that?" asked Sheila, picking up her books.  
  
"There's a lot of drama in this school. It's like survival of the fittest here," replied Ashley, "There's not that many people that you can really trust so pick your friends wisely."  
  
"Oh," said Sheila.  
  
"You can hang out with me and my friends," said Ashley, "You'll like them, I promise. Craig's one of my good friends."  
  
"Oh I know Craig," said Sheila, "We're in the same classes. He walked with me to them."  
  
"That's cool," said Ashley.  
  
A car pulled up in the front and honked it's horn. Sheila and Ashley turned.  
  
"Oh, that's my mom," said Sheila, "It was nice talking to you, Ashley."  
  
"Ditto," replied Ashley.  
  
Sheil walked to the car and got inside. Her little brother and sister were sitting in the back watching Spongebob Squarepants on the screen in the back. Her mother began driving back home.  
  
"Who was that girl you were talking to?" asked Mrs. Barktsdale.  
  
"Her name is Ashley. She had tripped over one of my books and we got to talking after I helped her back up and apologized," replied Sheila, looking out the window.  
  
"I like her outfit," said her mother, "I think it's interesting."  
  
  
  
Sheila didn't say anything else about how the rest of her day went. She began to do her homework and played a game with her younger siblings. Her father hadn't come back from work yet so it was just her mother, her, and her siblings that were going to be eating dinner together.  
  
"Did you meet anyone else at school today?" asked her mother.  
  
"Um... this one guy named Craig helped me open my locker," said Sheila, "We're in the same classes so he walked me to each one."  
  
"This Craig sounds like a real gentlemen," said her mother slyly.  
  
"Mom," said Sheila, "You say that about every guy."  
  
"Ok, ok, let's not talk about guys. I have a surprise for you," said Mrs. Barktsdale.  
  
Sheila put down her fork and looked at her mother. Mrs. Barktsdale smiled and ran into the living room. She later returned with a small puppy in her arms. She handed it to Sheila.  
  
"It's a boxer," said her mother, "She's a girl."  
  
"Aww," said Sheila softly, "She lovely. I think I'll name her Jewels."  
  
Her younger brother and sister looked angrly at her mother.  
  
"What about us?" they asked.  
  
"Don't worry, you guys got something too," said her mother, "But it's not a dog."  
  
They frowned but continued to eat their dinner without fuss. Sheila put Jewels on the floor and continued to eat her dinner too.  
  
*********  
  
"Mom," said Sheila, "I need a camera for photography class."  
  
"I think there's one in my bedroom," replied her mother.  
  
"The right kind? Not some Polaroid or disposable camera?"  
  
"Yes, it's the kind you need. I bought one for you today. Now go play with your dog because she's messing with my feet."  
  
Sheila scooped up Jewels and went into her bedroom. Turning on her CD play, she chose Good Charlotte and played it. As she sat on her bed, petting Jewels, she thought about Craig. It wasn't soon after a knock on her door interupted her thoughts.  
  
"Come in," said Sheila.  
  
"So, do you like the dog?" asked her mother standing in the doorway.  
  
"Yeah, but why did you get her for me?"  
  
"I figured that a dog might give you something to talk about at school and you were always saying how much you wanted a boxer just like Benji's dog."  
  
"Yeah you're right. Wasn't she expensive?"  
  
"Sort of. But if you keep your grades up and do your chores, she's your dog and no one else's. But if you don't, your father and I are going to keep the dog but she's no longer yours."  
  
"I knew there was a catch."  
  
Her mother chuckled.  
  
"Well, sleep tight and maybe you'll make more friends tomorrow."  
  
"Night mom."  
  
Her mother closed the door until it was barely closed and Sheila changed into her pajamas. Jewels jumped onto the bed with her. Sheila hugged Jewels and fell fast asleep.  
  
*******  
  
"What a neat camera!" exclaimed Craig, examining Sheila's camera.  
  
"I already took a nice little picture of my new dog," she said, banging on her locker.  
  
"What kind of dog is it?"  
  
"A boxer. Her name is Jewels. My younger sibs were pretty ticked off that I got a dog and they didn't."  
  
Craig laughed at this and shut his locker.  
  
"Well, let's get to Spanish. Ugh, my worst subject," he said.  
  
Sheila put her camera around her neck and followed him. They walked to the classroom and sat down. Moments later, the teacher came in.  
  
"Hola clase," she said.  
  
"Hola Señorita Carlo," replied the class.  
  
"La copia y completa el taladro," she said.  
  
  
  
The class stared at her.  
  
"I said 'copy and complete the drill.' ¡Ahora!"  
  
"I see this is going to be fun," whispered Craig.  
  
"Craig, no hablando," said Señorita Carlo.  
  
"Sorry," replied Craig sheepishly.  
  
"En español."  
  
"Say 'lo siento,'" whispered Sheila.  
  
"Lo siento," said Craig.  
  
Spanish went by too slowly for Sheila. She desperately wanted to get to photography where she was free to express her creativity through her pictures. Lunch rolled around shortly after Spanish. Craig went to the dark room to develope some pictures, leaving Sheila to walk to the cafeteria by herself. Seeing how crowded it was, she went outside to find an empty picnic table.  
  
"Hey Sheil, come sit with us!" said a familar voice.  
  
  
  
Sheila turned around and saw Ashley sitting with a group of kids. Sheila walked over to them and sat down.  
  
"I see you've got a new camera," said Ashley, pointing to it around her neck, "I bet ya anything Craig was excited over it."  
  
"Yeah, he kind of was," said Sheila.  
  
"Oh forgive me for not introducing the others. This is Ellie, Sam, Michael, and Dave," she said pointing to the others.  
  
"Hi Sheil, we're in the same homeroom," said Ellie.  
  
"Oh," said Sheila.  
  
Through the duration of lunch, they got into a heated discussion on genetically motified foods. Ashley spoke of one of the girls that Craig had gone out with.  
  
  
  
"She asked if G.M. made the food taste better," she said laughing.  
  
The others laughed too.  
  
  
  
"Was she young or something? Did she know what you were talking about?" asked Sheila.  
  
"She was only a year younger than me and Craig," replied Ashley.  
  
The lunch bell rang. Sheila walked to History hoping that it would go by fast.  
  
Her wish came true. Soon she and Craig made their way to the photography classroom. They were given the opportunity to take pictures of things that truely represented nature outside. Sheila found a single daisy and layed down on the ground to take the picture. A shadow crept across the daisy and she looked up.  
  
"Hey," said Craig.  
  
"You might want to move," said Sheila, "I need the light for this shot."  
  
"I just wanted to ask you for your number," said Craig moving.  
  
"Huh?" asked Sheila dumbstruck.  
  
"I need help with the Spanish homework and I figured that I'd get your number and you could help me," replied Craig.  
  
"Sure," said Sheila standing up.  
  
They walked back inside and Sheila wrote her number on a piece of paper.  
  
"This is my own number," said Sheila, "So you won't get my little sibs or my parents."  
  
"Alright," said Craig, "And thanks again."  
  
"No problem," said Sheila smiling.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Ok, this is a little author's note. I started this story this morning and I'm proud of myself. Already two chapters out and hopefully I'll get a few more since there is no school today due to the aftermath of the hurricane. I don't know too much about Degrassi so don't get mad if I make a little mistake here and there. I'm going to make an author's note every two chapters to let you know how it's coming.  
  
So re-reading through this chapter, it seems a little confusing but I'll start doing the whole recap thing in chapter four. I hope you enjoyed the story so far and please review! :)  
  
P.s- Thanx to the first review telling me that Degrassi is actually in Canada. See, I don't have digital cable or satillite so I don't get to see the show often. I made the changes and please tell me if I got something wrong :) 


End file.
